Mexico President pledges to defend NAFTA, nation's 'dignity'

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Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on Saturday defended free trade and young migrants in the United States. Pena Nieto said that his government would not accept insults against "national dignity" from the administration of the United States President Donald Trump.

Trade negotiators from Canada, the United States and Mexico are working through the weekend in Mexico City to present more proposals for a renewed North American Free Trade Agreement, which Trump has recently threatened to rip up. "We will not accept anything that goes against our national dignity," Pena Nieto addressed politicians and the country's elite.

Pena Nieto added that Mexico would continue to defend NAFTA as a vehicle to further integrate the region and provide certainty to investors.

As, the US President Trump has frequently threatened to pull out of NAFTA if talks do not go his way, top Mexican officials said Latin America's No. 2 economy would walk away from negotiations if Trump moves to withdraw from the deal.

Representatives from the three countries kicked off a second round of closed-door talks on Friday on 25 areas of discussion, with subjects including digital commerce and small businesses, seen as areas where consensus was possible, officials said.